MEDIA RELEASE: MELBOURNE ARTIST TO STAGE AFL GRAND FINAL SKY WRITING PROJECT ADDRESSING ISSUE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Melbourne artist Mary Lou Pavlovic will stage an AFL Grand Final Sky Writing Project over the MCG this Saturday 24/09/05.
The theme of Mary Lou’s work will address the issue of violence against women, recently a topical issue within football culture. Mary Lou’s idea is that given the opportunity to say something to those who would be violent, what would she say? The artist is intending that the work will be very personal – a counter to the corporate, impersonal glamorous spectacle of Grand Final Football.
In 2003 the Women’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service Victoria published disturbing statistics that indicate domestic violence increases around major events such as the AFL Grand Final approximately 10%.
Little has been done to improve or educate the public about this terrible human rights tragedy.
An exhibition of photographs of the event (some taken from a helicopter) will follow soon after.
The artist’s work is a follow on from the work she undertook last year – the ‘Liar!’ poster campaign in which 200 posters were placed around Melbourne for two weeks at the time of the AFL Grand Final. Mary Lou dressed as a battered football fan with the word “Liar!’ depicted underneath. This project was done in conjunction with the Women’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service.
